AeroHub

Greetings jolly readers. Wondering if you may be able to give me a hand with this one?
One of my “Wings of Time” series is about New Zealand Miles Magisters and Whitney Straights. The information I am seeking is which Aero Clubs and private owners operated these types within NZ. Anything you might know about their registrations, years, owners etc would be of great assistance. Perhaps some of you actually flew or worked on these aircraft?
Thanks troops.
Cheers,

mikefeeney@actrix.co.nz

Home phone: 07- 8464210

click to enlarge

Aerolineas Airbus A-340 Argie Aerobatic Aviator Admires Advanced Aerodynamic Anglo Airfreight Aeroplane At Antipodean Ardmore Aerodrome, Auckland, Aotearoa.

This snapshot has captured the enthusiasm of an Argentine aviator whom can only be known as “El Condor”.
Upon discovering this ex. RNZAF Bristol 170, Mk.31 ‘Freighter’ (aka ‘Frightener’ and ‘Vibrator’), El Condor became delerious with joy and explained that he had dreams of using it on the international air show circuit as the World’s Largest Aerobatic Aeroplane and, as it had nearly 4,000 horsepower, would also fly it in the Red Bull pylon racing programme.
He further amplified that, during the off-peak season, he would enhance its annual utilisation by starting a service between Argentina and New Zealand to cater for the masses who wish to cycle across the Andes then spend time as “El Gaucho la Bicycle”. Continue Reading »

FU-24 BVW

A portrait of him as a young airman.

(And some reflections about the early model FU-24)

I thought some of you chaps would like to see what Our Pal Mal. looked like when he was a young, clean-cut, suave, devil-may-care, dashing heart-throb of a cropdusting airman. The aircraft we flew out of Dargaville, Northland, NZ, was the Fletcher FU-24 (designed by John Thorp who also created the Piper PA-28) which could land on a penny and had an average payload of about 0.75 tonne. As it then had only the 240 bhp Continental 0-470 engine, it required a high degree of determination (and luck) to coax it to climb when fully laden at a weight of approx. 4,000 lbs. We worked off airstrips as short as 200 metres and as steep as 30%….we must have been crazy!!! Continue Reading »

ParakaiAirfieldNewsletter-Dec09

Windsock Dec 09

The latest Calendar from the HB&EC Aero Club  is now available.

This calendar features scenes  from the early days at the Bridge Pa Airfield all the photos are from the Aero Club photo collection.

The calendar is available from The Pilotshop Downunder or Graeme Claridge info@aerohub.co.nz, or graeme@aviationprints.co.nz, Place your order before Christmas.

NZ Aviators from our past. John Houlton and Frank Transom.

This painting by Anthony Saunders reminds me of my two late chums of 485 (NZ) Squadron who flew four sorties together from Selsey, in their Spitfire Mk.IXs, that long fateful day during the D Day landings. John Houlton and Frank Transom were great mates, then, and for the rest of their lives. John shot down two Ju-88s that day and a Me-109 during the following period. Had there been more enemy aircraft operating in their sector, I am sure John would have destroyed others. He had a very good eye, a determined nature and had already developed his deflection shooting skills during the defence of Malta where he had six confirmed kills and had damaged several other German aircraft before being posted back to the UK.

John flew for Thames Aerial Topdressing after the war, which is where I got to know him. He later became the Secretary of the NZ Agricultural Pilot’s Association where he strove tirelessly to improve the working conditions and safety of flight operations during a long period of appalling pilot deaths and injuries. I have a large file of his correspondence with Civil Aviation and the Operators so can testify to his well-reasoned efforts. His forthright manner did not endear him to some of the non-flying senior management, but most of the employee pilots were glad of his assistance during those bad years.    Continue Reading »

A Waikato man’s 80 years on the land, and 60 years in the sky!

There are days in my wife’s and my Waikato homeland, when the air is so crisply clear, the rural landscape so lovely, that it is hard to imagine a more pleasant place in which to live. As we motored south to visit Hugh and Justine Baxter at their Te Kawa West home, snow-capped Ruapehu dominated the central North Island and nearby bush-covered Mount Pirongia presided over the western Waikato farmlands.
Continue Reading »

The history of this simple graph goes back to 1981 when, working for the NZ Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport, I devised a similar ‘user-friendly’ means for pilots to quickly determine to what extent airstrip slope increased its effective operational length. It was published in articles I wrote for their “Flight Safety” journal and was primarily intended as an aid for the training of pilots undergoing specialised flight instruction for an Agricultural Pilot Rating. Continue Reading »

Hi everybody,

We are now cranking up the programme to promote sales of Gift Vouchers for Trial Flights and our Flight Scholarship.

You can play an important part in the campaign.

1. Print off, in colour, the A4 Flyer or A3 Poster (from the attachments) and display them on the notice board at work. (If you don’t have access to a suitable colour printer let us know and we will print some off for you)
2. We are scheduled to have a small display in Manners Mall this Saturday and the following weekend (19th and 20th) and need volunteers to-  (a) help out for an hour or two in handing out promotional flyers to the public or - (b) to do some letter box drops to houses in your area. (Let us know in which way you are able to assist. We will supply you with a bundle of the small A5 flyers for letter box drops. Just let us know how many you can distribute)
3. How about buying some Trial Flight Gift Vouchers for your own loved one(s) or friends. Just contact Pam to order.

We now have a page on our website (www.flywellington.co.nz) to which people can go to order a Gift Voucher or register for the Scholarship. People contacting the Club for a Scholarship Entry Trial Flight will also be provided with the relevant terms and conditions.

We are having a Vans RV fly-in at Motueka on Sat 30th January 2010. For any
one flying, building or just interested in Vans RV homebuilt aircraft.
www.rvproject.gen.nz/flyin2010
flyin2010@rvproject.gen.nz

Phone Neil Colliver for more details
06 322 0294

FlyingNZ Notice board December 2009

November Newsletter 1

NEWS LETTER DECEMBER 09

Wellington Aero Club

welcomes you and your family to a

Family Christmas Funday.

WHEN:     20^TH DECEMBER 2009

WHERE:  WELLINGTON AERO CLUB

FROM:     3.00PM – 6.00PM

Today we have added two new picture galleries

The re-enactment of the Stan White’s arrival at Bridge Pa and the Air Hawke’s Bay Students end of year BBQ